Chapter 15
AUSTIN
“Ithink I’m going to be sick,” Rodney muttered beside me, his face slightly green under the jewelry store’s harsh lighting.
“You’re being dramatic.”
“I’m standing in a ring store watching you look at engagement rings. I think I’m allowed to be dramatic.” He grabbed my arm. “Austin. Buddy. Friend. We can still leave. Just walk out. Nobody has to know we were here.”
“Except the three people currently filming us from across the store.”
Rodney’s head whipped around. Sure enough, a group of twenty-somethings had their phones pointed in our direction, trying to be subtle and failing miserably.
“Fuck,” he breathed. “This is really happening.”
“This is really happening.” I turned my attention back to the display case in front of me, where approximately a million dollars’ worth of diamonds glittered under the lights. “What do you think? The oval or the emerald cut?”
“I think you’ve lost your goddamn mind.”
“The emerald cut then. Good choice.” I flagged down the sales associate, a woman in her fifties who’d been hovering nearby since we walked in. She probably recognized the Bancroft name when I introduced myself. Or maybe she just smelled money. Either way, she materialized instantly.
“Yes, Mr. Bancroft?”
“Can I see this one?” I pointed at a platinum band with an emerald-cut diamond that had to be at least three carats. “And maybe a few others in this style.”
“Of course.” She pulled out a velvet tray and started selecting rings. “Are we shopping for someone special?”
“Very special,” I said, because the phones were still recording and I needed this to be convincing. “Met her at a wedding. Swept me right off my feet.”
Rodney made a choking sound beside me.
The associate smiled indulgently. “How romantic. And what’s her style? Classic? Modern? Vintage?”
I thought about Melody. The way she dressed. Her aesthetic. “Timeless. Elegant. But with personality. She doesn’t follow trends. She sets them.”
“Wonderful. I have some pieces I think she’d love.” The associate disappeared into the back, leaving Rodney and me alone with the display cases and the covert filming.
“You’re not actually going to marry this girl, are you?” Rodney hissed the moment she was out of earshot.
I shrugged, keeping my expression neutral. “Why not?”
“Why not?” His voice pitched up. “Austin, you’ve known her for like five minutes!”
“When you know, you know.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it. Nobody falls in love in two days.”
“Maybe I’m the romantic type. I’ve just been looking for the right one. I found her.”
“You’re the ‘sleep with a different model every weekend’ type. You don’t do the marriage thing.” Rodney was really working himself up now. “Do you have any idea what you’re signing up for? Marriage is a scam, man. A complete and utter scam.”
“Is this going somewhere?”
“Everyone I know is divorced. Multiple times. My dad? Three divorces. Each one cost him millions. My uncle? Four divorces. Bank account completely emptied. My cousin just went through his second divorce last year. His ex-wife took the house, the boat, and half his business.”
“Your family sounds delightful.”
“I’m serious! Marriage destroys men. Families get torn apart. Kids get caught in the middle. And the ex-wives?” He was really on a roll now. “They take their spousal support and immediately get new boobs, a Brazilian butt lift, or whatever the fuck they want, while you’re bleeding money.”
“Rodney, chill—”
“Why would you want to sign yourself up for that? You’ve got everything, man. Freedom. Money. Options. And you’re going to throw it all away on some girl you met at a wedding?”
The sales associate returned with another tray of rings, saving me from having to respond. I made a show of examining each one, holding them up to the light, asking about specifications and certifications.
The truth was, I couldn’t tell Rodney the real story.
Not because I didn’t trust him. Rodney was probably the only friend I had who gave a shit about me beyond my last name.
But if I told him this was all fake, I’d be putting him in an impossible position.
He’d have to lie. Or worse, he might slip up and accidentally expose the whole thing.
He did like to party and liquor created loose lips.
Better to let him think I’d lost my mind over a woman. Besides, there was something kind of fun about playing the role of smitten idiot.
“You’re right,” I said, picking up one of the rings and examining it closely. “Marriage can be bad. Really bad. But this girl is different.”
“Different how?”
I channeled every romantic comedy I’d ever been forced to watch by various ex-girlfriends. “She completes me.”
Rodney stared at me. “Did you just quote Jerry Maguire at me?”
“She makes me want to be a better man.”
“Oh my god. Did she have you at hello?” He scoffed.
“I didn’t know what I was missing until I met her.
” I was really leaning into it now. Rodney looked like he wanted to physically shake me.
“She’s changed my life. Changed how I see everything.
And yeah, maybe it’s fast. Maybe it’s crazy.
But when something feels this right, you just have to take it. Carpe diem.”
“I’m going to throw up.”
“You can’t throw up. You’ll ruin my moment.” I grabbed the ring I’d been examining from the very beginning. It really did seem like something Melody would wear. It would look good on her. Then I got an idea.
I dropped to one knee right there in the middle of the jewelry store.
Rodney’s eyes went wide. “What the fuck are you doing?”
“Practicing.” I held the ring up to him. “Rodney Mitchell, will you marry me?”
“Austin, I swear to god.” His blue eyes were filled with horror. Rodney was a big guy, but he also looked like a surfer. He was a playboy. My wing man.
“I promise to love and cherish you. To put up with your terrible golf game and your even worse taste in whiskey. To be faithful and true, even when you’re being a complete pain in my ass.”
“Get up,” he said, glancing around.
“Is that a yes? I need an answer, Rodney. You’re leaving me hanging here.”
The sales associate was trying very hard not to laugh. The people filming had moved closer, probably trying to get audio. This was perfect.
Rodney’s face had gone from green to bright red. “I hate you so much right now.”
“Don’t play hard to get.”
“Austin.”
I stood up, grinning. “Fine, fine. Guess I’ll have to save the real proposal for Melody. As long as she doesn’t tell me she hates me, I’m good to go.”
“You’re insane. Completely insane.” But Rodney was laughing now, despite himself. “I can’t believe you just did that. You’re lucky I didn’t say yes.”
I chuckled. “I had to practice. Make sure I get it right when it counts.”
“This is all for your dad?” he asked.
“And me. My future. That woman is going to give me a herd of little Austins.”
“God help the world. Has your dad met her?”
I took a long breath. “Not yet.”
“Does he know you’re popping the question?”
I shook my head. “Nope, but he’ll find out soon enough.”
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out, still holding the ring, and felt a savage satisfaction when I saw the name on the screen.
Dad.
Dad: Sunday dinner. 6. Estate. We need to discuss your recent behavior and this relationship everyone is talking about. Don’t be late.
I showed Rodney, who whistled low. “Armand sounds pissed.”
“Armand is always pissed.” I typed back a response designed to irritate him further.
Me: K
Just K. Nothing else.
Rodney winced. “You really like living dangerously, don’t you?”
“It’s the only way I know how to live.” I turned back to the sales associate. “I’ll take this one.”
“Absolutely, Mr. Bancroft. Would you like a box or will your friend be wearing it out?” The woman was smiling, and I laughed at her joke.
Even Rodney grinned.
We finished up the purchase and left the store. The people who’d been filming us scattered like roaches when we headed for the door.
I checked my phone again. Oddly enough, I was looking for a message from her. Why? Why would she text me? There was no reason for her to text me. It was just a professional thing.
There wasn’t a new text message, but the new email notification was on. It was an email from the lawyers I had looking into the brand that touched up Melody’s pictures without her consent.
I opened it while we walked, scanning the legal jargon. They’d reviewed Melody’s contract with Femme Curve and found several potential breaches. Unauthorized image manipulation. Failure to provide final approval rights. Misrepresentation of the campaign’s scope and intent.
We had them. Really had them. The email included next steps, recommended strategy, and a request to meet with Melody directly to go over everything.
Perfect.
I pulled up my text thread with Melody.
Me: Lawyers have details about the Femme Curve situation. We have a meeting tomorrow afternoon. 2 work for you?
Three dots appeared almost immediately.
Melody: Tomorrow? That’s fast.
Me: Bancrofts don’t wait around and lawyers love billable hours. Is 2 good or not?
Melody: It’s good. Where?
Me: I’ll send a car for you. My lawyers’ office.
Melody: That’s very Bancroft of you.
Me: You’ll get used to it.
No response. But I was pretty sure she was smiling.
“You’re texting her right now, aren’t you?” Rodney asked.
“Don’t be jealous.”
He ignored the statement. “And you’re smiling like an idiot.”
“I don’t smile like an idiot.”
“You’re literally smiling like an idiot right this second.” He shook his head. “Man, you’ve really fallen for this girl.”
I pocketed my phone. “She’s special. I told you.”
“I’m happy for you, man. Really. Even if I think you’re moving way too fast and probably going to regret this in six months. But if she makes you happy, if she’s really as great as you say she is, then fuck it. Do something crazy. Marry the girl.”
“Thanks.”
“Just promise me one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Get a prenup. A really, really good prenup.”
I laughed. “Noted.”
We climbed into my car and headed out to grab some lunch. I found myself looking forward to tomorrow. Not because I was thrilled about a meeting with lawyers, but I was anxious to see my fake girlfriend. Maybe I would convince her to get an early dinner with me after.